Special issue "Rias" on ’the cultural
significance of modernity in the
americas’
Review of International American Studies 2/1, 45
J a n u a r y 2 0 07
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March 1, 00SpEcIAl ISSuE RIAS oN ‘thE cultuRAl
SIGNIFIcANcE oF modERNIty IN thE AmERIcAS’
the third issue of RIAS will focus on the cultural significance of modernity in the con‑ text of the Americas, and its interpellation in the cultures and peoples of both old and new worlds. If the 15th century clash that was the cultural encounter of Dis‑ covery describes the origins of modernity, then the birth of modernity and its af‑ termath represent a potentially fruitful avenue for comparative cultural investigation. the study of culture in traditional academic contexts has historically been under‑ taken within the prescribed parameters of the nation‑state and its official language, as well as within neatly demarcated chronological divides. with the advent of the new intellectual paradigm of the Americas, however, these seemingly stable categories and divisions have increasingly come into question, especially when considered in re‑ lation to the actual historical record, in which the many encounters and engagements of disparate peoples of the Americas across nations, languages, cultures and centuries often transcend the conventional academic boundaries that would seek to contain them. Considering the meaning of modernity in the Americas from this perspective opens up many possibilities for cross‑cultural, multilingual, and transnational dialogue not realizable in more traditional contexts, highlighting the interactions not only of di‑ verse peoples of the new world, but also their encounters with those of the old.we are particularly interested in essays and short position papers that explore his‑ torical points of contact or convergence between two or more peoples of the Ameri‑ cas or between peoples of both the new and the old worlds, essays that examine the academic significance of considering the interrelationships between historical pe‑ riods, or essays that consider the conflict between the Americas as a new intellectual paradigm and traditional academic contexts. we encourage online submissions via the RIAS electronic submission platform. For questions, suggestions for topics, or pa‑ per proposals, and the like, contact the RIAS guest editor Cyraina Johnson‑roullier at e‑mail: cjohnson@nd.edu.
